Sporting students get digging for a community cause

Coventry University students got their hands dirty for a good community cause with a day spent clearing riverbanks and conserving tourist hot spots.

More than 50 students from sports teams across the university joined the Team Phoenix Volunteering Day, leading conservation work to clear woodland at Ryton Pools and Coombe Country parks.

Others joined the Canal and River Trust for planting, ground repairs, litter picking and clearing access routes to footpaths – work usually reliant on charitable trusts. 

Student volunteer, Luke Gregory, said: 

It is a great opportunity to give back to a city which offers students like us so much, as well as having that feeling that you have helped to make other people’s lives easier at the same time.”

Sue Blocksidge from the Canal and River Trust said:

The students worked so hard, they did a fantastic job, and were a pleasure to be around. The trustees were very impressed, it was a great success.”

 

Volunteer, Jonny Clark, who plays for CU Jets American football team said:

In sports, performance of the team is highly important and the guys at Team Phoenix understand that performance on the field is directly impacted by events off it.

 

Our day at Ryton Pools Country Park is a great example of how this kind of project provides us with various opportunities to better ourselves.  The whole day was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and one that we would be more than happy to do again.”

For further press information, please contact Hannah Smith, press officer at Coventry University, on +44 (0)24 7765 8352 or at hannah.smith@coventry.ac.uk.